Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Some days, nothing but a moist piece of chocolate cake will do. Today was one of those days...for a number of reasons: It was cold, cold, cold out so baking seemed like a good idea. I haven't had chocolate cake in awhile. And it's my birthday, so why not celebrate with a little chocolate cake? But there's one problem: I can't have any dairy.

Why? Well, in late October (round about the time of my last post!) we found out our little girl can't digest milk protein, so no dairy for her or mommy for awhile. It's relatively easy to eliminate dairy - until you get to dessert. It seems to be some unwritten law that all the yummiest desserts contain some sort of dairy product - usually ridiculous amounts of butter. But a little digging online revealed many many recipes that are vegan or dairy free. I chose this one because it was quick and easy and promised me moist, chocolate cake.

I have to say I was more than a little skeptical. I mean, come on, this recipe calls for VINEGAR! in my cake? I felt a little like Sam I Am as he took his first bite of those green eggs and ham. The result? It's good, some might say very good. It's not dripping with buttercream, but it's moist - look at that crumb! I thought it needed a little extra chocolate so I've been dusting it with a little cocoa powder mixed with a bit of powdered sugar.

Anyway, give it a whirl. You don't even need a bowl! And while you're here leave a comment with your favorite dairy free baked goods.

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt directly into the baking pan, then add the sugar. With your finger, poke 2 small holes and 1 large one in the dry ingredients. Into one of the small holes pour the vanilla, into the other one the vinegar, and into the larger one the oil.

3. Pour the water over all the ingredients and stir the ingredients together with a table fork, reaching into the corners, until you can’t see any more flour and the batter looks fairly well homogenized.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is springy and a tester inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack, then cut and serve it from the pan.

Storage
Keep at room temperature, wrapped airtight, for up to 3 days; refrigerate after that.

If you're looking for more dairy-free desserts, please swing by and check out my vegan desserts. I'm co-authoring a vegan dessert cookbook, to be released this year by mainstream publisher Wildside/Borgo.